Nicola Savino: “So I freed myself from the anxiety of listening”

When she lays her head on the pillow in the evening, Nicola Savino he is calm because he knows that, during the day, he did exactly what he dreamed of doing when he was a boy. “Every morning, when I go to the radio and put the headphones on, I am aware of doing what was my dream at the age of 16”, says Savino on the phone from Milan in a clipping of one of his busy days: together to the daily appointment of Deejay Call Italy and weekly of Hyenas, his latest engagement is called The Young Old Man, a brand new program that Savino hosts on RaiPlay and that mixes, in a light and fun way, two of the things he loves most in the world: comedy and, in fact, music.

Together with several musical guests who decide to get naked in an irreverent way, The Young Old Man in fact, it counts several young comic artists who, together with the more experienced like Herbert Ballerina, try to give the program a fresher and more unpredictable approach. One of the beautiful things about the programs available on the platforms is a freedom that the generalist often cannot afford not only for the sensitivity of the public, but also for the growing pressure of the listeners that worries most of the presenters, but that Savino is not afraid to to admit.

Let’s face it: The Young Old Man it would be a perfect program for the generalist.
«RaiPlay asked me to do it and I ran. This is exactly what we did with L’Altro Festival at the penultimate Sanremo: The Young Old Man it’s more or less that team there that tries to do something very difficult: take the wheels off at the Sanremo Festival to go on with its own legs ».

Can we say that we work in a more carefree way on the platforms given the absence of the Auditel?
“Absolutely. I do not do like my colleagues who say that listening does not count, because it is useless for us to make fun of ourselves: it counts. It is a bit like the writing in the Juventus locker room, even if it costs me a lot to quote it: “Winning is not important, it is the only thing that matters.” allows you to get rid of this nagging ».

There are many young people in the program. Do you think you have to go to the platforms to find them?
«Television seems to have become the job that Italians no longer want to do: children under 20 don’t watch television, they no longer know which channel the button on the remote control corresponds to. On the other hand, they know platforms very well ».

Returning to the title of the program: are you younger or older?
“I am a 54 year old man with the ambition to be a young man. Due to my professional roots, since I define myself as a disc jockey, I need to be up to date. But I remain a 54-year-old: otherwise this could lead to worrying neuroses ».

He doesn’t have Peter Pan syndrome, then?
“I’ve worked on it. Last night I went to a club to put some vinyl records without any end: it is as if I had combined the old of vinyl with the youth disc jockey. I do not set myself limits ».

Having worked on it, I deduce that, at some point, this syndrome has arrived.
“I grew up in an environment, that of Radio Deejay, where there is a strong youthfulness, and this is part of the risks, but a good analyst and a psychoanalytic path can get you back to Earth”.

What was he like when he was young?
“Pretty loser, I was more interested in music than girls. My two obsessions were the stadium and the radio: then the disco and the girls arrived, but it was an accident along the way ».